# Questions about estate pipes



## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

I have never purchased an estate pipe. Almost all of my pipes were acquired from B&Ms and mail order before the internet became the phenom it is today. I was smoking my pipe for years before I started hearing people talk about estate pipes.

What is the main driving force behind buying estate pipes? Is it money or is it the thrill of the restoration?

I have never let my pipes get in bad shape so I am not even sure I have all the skills and knowledge to restore a pipe with significant problems. Am I cheating myself out a rewarding experience or should I just forget about it and be happy with my little area of the hobby? Some of the things I have read here make it seem like it is no small task.


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## Arctic Fire (Jan 17, 2010)

The big appeals of an estate pipe are that its cheap and already broken in. Now i havent bought an estate pipe. Ive been eyeing those pipe lots on ebay though.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

I fancy certain pipes that are long since out of production. That means I will not likely find what I want in new/box condition. Shopping for ebay (or other) estate pipes is about the only option.

It can be great fun de-funking old pipe, too. A few of us enjoy it.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...900-estate-pipes-reclaimed-diamonds-coal.html


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## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

Mister Moo said:


> I fancy certain pipes that are long since out of production. That means I will not likely find what I want in new/box condition. Shopping for ebay (or other) estate pipes is about the only option.
> 
> It can be great fun de-funking old pipe, too. A few of us enjoy it.
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...900-estate-pipes-reclaimed-diamonds-coal.html


Now that I can understand. Travelling has destroyed a few of my friends over the years. One in particular was a DiMonte that I would love to have back.


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## MattN (Dec 19, 2009)

I like the price. Depending on what was smoked out of them and how they were taken care of, they can be nicely broken in as well.

I'll stick my neck out a little and say that the more a pipe has been smoked, the more likely it is a good smoker as well. Not necessarily, but it seems to be a logical conclusion.

Another point is briar gets better with age, so an older pipe could/should be a better smoker than a newer pipe of the same relative caliber.

Matt


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> I fancy certain pipes that are long since out of production.


Yep! You'll find precious few if any brand new pre-transition Barlings, patent number Dunhills, old Comoy's made by Henri Comoy or even short-term Italian marques such as Capitello or Fiamma di Re. You'll only find them as estate pipes.


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

treasure hunting can be fun

restoration can be fun

collecting can be fun

availability- many shapes, styles, sizes, brands cannot be obtained short of a custom built pipe

cost vrs quality: often the briar used even in budget pipes from the 1960's and earlier is of superb quality, making many estate pipes an excellent value

a good quality new pipe decreases in value the moment you smoke it- a good quality estate pipe only increases in value regardless of how often you enjoy smoking it (providing you take care of your pipes!)


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I don't know if I'll ever buy an "estate" pipe again. I use the quotations because the word is intentionally misleading. The word 'estate' implies that some poor brother has "shuffled off this mortal coil" and left behind his beloved pipes for others to enjoy. In truth, it seems more likely to me (and this has been my experience) that someone has a pipe that didn't cut it, and he's trying to recoup some of his loss. Now, an estate pipe from a reputable dealer might be something I'll try at some point, but I think my days of buying used pipes on fleabay are squarely in my past...


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Rascal said:


> I have never purchased an estate pipe. Almost all of my pipes were acquired from B&Ms and mail order before the internet became the phenom it is today. I was smoking my pipe for years before I started hearing people talk about estate pipes.
> 
> What is the main driving force behind buying estate pipes? Is it money or is it the thrill of the restoration?
> 
> I have never let my pipes get in bad shape so I am not even sure I have all the skills and knowledge to restore a pipe with significant problems. Am I cheating myself out a rewarding experience or should I just forget about it and be happy with my little area of the hobby? Some of the things I have read here make it seem like it is no small task.


Some of it is the aspect of collecting. Today's cars are arguably better in every way, but there is no shortage of people that like older cars. For instance, not everyone has a pristine 1930s Kaywoodie Thorn, but I do :mrgreen:

Also, many people (including me, to some extent) believe older, distinguished pipe brands often offered a quality of briar and engineering even in their lower end pipes that is largely absent today unless the price goes up.

And some get a kick out of doing the restoration work themselves.

Me, I've bought a couple of estate pipes from reputable dealers, and I've had professional pipe restorers bring some ebay finds back from the dead. I've gotten some pipes I really love that way.

Plus, a quality used briar that has been refurbished and cleaned offers a new or economically challenged smoker a chance to a) purchase a higher end pipe at a lower cost and b) obtain a pipe that is already broken in and proved to be a good smoker.


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

ChronoB said:


> Some of it is the aspect of collecting. Today's cars are arguably better in every way, but there is no shortage of people that like older cars. For instance, not everyone has a pristine 1930s Kaywoodie Thorn, but I do :mrgreen:
> 
> Also, many people (including me, to some extent) believe older, distinguished pipe brands often offered a quality of briar and engineering even in their lower end pipes that is largely absent today unless the price goes up.
> 
> ...


Couldn't have said it better myself.

I've has mostly good luck buying estates on fleabay, with the exception of one poorly described piece of crap. 2 of them get smoked almost daily.


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## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

Nope it was a triple post.


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## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

Double post.


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## Rascal (Jan 29, 2010)

ChronoB said:


> Some of it is the aspect of collecting. Today's cars are arguably better in every way, but there is no shortage of people that like older cars. For instance, not everyone has a pristine 1930s Kaywoodie Thorn, but I do :mrgreen:
> 
> Also, many people (including me, to some extent) believe older, distinguished pipe brands often offered a quality of briar and engineering even in their lower end pipes that is largely absent today unless the price goes up.
> 
> ...


Interesting. See some of the things I read here make me wonder if my hobby has been on auto-pilot for too long. I am not unhappy in any way but I do wonder about things I have never experienced. I have never thought about owning a really old pipe.

So you are saying if I bought one I could just send it to some service to have it restored? That is not a bad thought either.

People new to the hobby have it so much better than I did. All of the information that is at your finger-tips is just incredible. I could have bought a pipe that was already broken in all those years ago. I can't say there is much comfort knowing that I pretty much did everything the hard/painful way. I was initially so stupid I worried when my tobacco was not moist. If I had told my father I was interested in pipe smoking a little sooner he might have spared me some of my self-induced torture.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Rascal said:


> Interesting. See some of the things I read here make me wonder if my hobby has been on auto-pilot for too long. I am not unhappy in any way but I do wonder about things I have never experienced. I have never thought about owning a really old pipe.
> 
> So you are saying if I bought one I could just send it to some service to have it restored? That is not a bad thought either.
> 
> People new to the hobby have it so much better than I did. All of the information that is at your finger-tips is just incredible. I could have bought a pipe that was already broken in all those years ago. I can't say there is much comfort knowing that I pretty much did everything the hard/painful way. I was initially so stupid I worried when my tobacco was not moist. If I had told my father I was interested in pipe smoking a little sooner he might have spared me some of my self-induced torture.


An estate pipe, especially a really old one, has history. A 30, 50, 80 year old pipe is part of a legacy, and now you're part of it, too.

Anyway, there are several good pipe restoration folks at there. George Dibos at precisionpiperepair.com is one of the best, but he takes forever. He has taken a couple pipes I got on ebay that looked like they weren't good for kindling and turned them into like-new beauties. I can give you a couple other recommendations, as well.

It comes down to this. Maybe you spend $150 - $250 on nice new pipe (at least, that sure would mean a nice one for me), or maybe you get an old Dunhill, Comoy's, etc off of ebay for $100 and have it restored to like new for $50. I've gotten several old pipes off of ebay that I've had restored. Just be cautious and judicious before committing a lot of $ on ebay. Some pipes are not as nice as pictures would make them seem.

Or, if you save up a little more you can always get a vintage pipe from one of the online dealers and bypass the whole ebay/refurbishing thing.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

ChronoB said:


> Plus, a quality used briar that has been refurbished and cleaned offers a new or economically challenged smoker a chance to a) purchase a higher end pipe at a lower cost and b) obtain a pipe that is already broken in and proved to be a good smoker.


Well, that's just it; how do I know that it is a)proven to be a good smoker or b)a dog someone is dumping?


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## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

All of the above answers are true. The hunt, the rescue, the chance, the bargain, they all play a part in the allure of the estate pipe. I have several, many even. Some of them are among my best smokers, and a few are lagging behind the leaders. The funny thing is, with enough time they do end up finding a home with a style of tobacco in most cases. My odd litttle Big Ben Fantasia.... it gets used for Englishes as I don't like those smokes to go too long and the smaller bowl fits my pace. My VERY bent Comoy's sitter is for really strong ropes as it just seems to smoke them well( and it has a tiny bit of the Lakeland stuck in the briar). Some haven't been smoked in a year and will become projects, others get used daily. 

Just like the stock market, you are taking a risk, but most times the reward pays for it all.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

MarkC said:


> ...it seems more likely to me (and this has been my experience) that someone has a pipe that didn't cut it, and he's trying to recoup some of his loss. Now, an estate pipe from a reputable dealer might be something I'll try at some point...


I come from a world of used motorcycles where the standard warranty was "Six-feet or six-seconds, whichever comes first."

Both swords referenced above, ebay and reputable dealers, have two edges. Smokingpipes.com, what I'd call a reputable company, sold me what appeared to be a lovely used pipe that was foto'd only in profile - it never occurred to me that the rim would look lightly gnawed on (refunded without discussion). Reputable dealers will routinely sell "name" bowls without mentioning a replacement stem. I've bought ebay pipes that were of terrific quality for ridiculously low prices and I bought an old school Pete tankard "as is - no refunds" that had brown clay filling two cracks in the bowl.

If you buy a used pipe from a dealer OR an auction you need to qualify the item and your terms carefully in advance and, at that, you'll still be hoping for the best when you open the box. With the one exception of the Pete mentioned above, the few bad pipes I bought on ebay were more my fault as anything else; I questioned, bid or bought carelessly. I give the notion of reputable dealers and pipeshow sellers a quiet "ha ha." While most are honest there are many who don't feel obliged to reveal shortcomings that may only be obvious to expert buyers. Or as someone once said about a very difficult purchasing agent, "His money was always on time but, if you walked in stupid, he didn't feel like it was his fault."

Caveat emptor.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Mister Moo said:


> I come from a world of used motorcycles where the standard warranty was "Six-feet or six-seconds, whichever comes first."


Damn...did you buy an 82 Yamaha 650 Maxim too?


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

MarkC said:


> Damn...did you buy an 82 Yamaha 650 Maxim too?


'67 BSA Thunderbolt with a rusty tank and a '66 Peterson rusticated tankard.:bounce:

I understand your feeling about used pipes on ebay. Sellers vary widely with what they offer and what they reveal to bidders. Guys like Coopersark only sell well qualified stuff and purchasers are get substantial detail in the listing; someone else has one blurry picture and a description like "I don't know anything about pipes but this one is made of wood and looks perfect. I think the word Dunghill is written on it. As Is - no refunds."

To the top-post question - Ebay is a place where you can buy great pipes but it also has a crap-shoot element. I wouldn't recommend ebay for everyone; sometimes a new pipe from the local Tinderbox is going to be way more satisfying. Now, for someone who WANTS to learn how to restore and doesn't care about getting something specific, those lots of 10-20 pipes that are all filthy and chewed up and have terrible photos and descriptions - they often go for a dollar or two per pipe and you get plenty to work with and to learn from.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

MarkC said:


> Well, that's just it; how do I know that it is a)proven to be a good smoker or b)a dog someone is dumping?


Simple, you skip ebay and buy from a proven dealer. I've bought a couple estate pipes from Marty Pulvers, and there both good smokers. He's very honest in his descriptions and his happy to provide an opinion on a particular pipe (good or bad). And if you don't think there are any reputable dealers you simply stick to new pipes.

Listen, buying _anything_ used is a more of a risk than buying new pipes. At least with briar the material is so resilient that it can take a lot of abuse from prior owners, and engineering faults can be overcome by skilled repairmen if it is truly a pipe you like.

But, I've bought new pipes that I turned around and traded-in or sold on ebay because I didn't like the way they smoked, and I didn't feel like spending the money to get a better stem or open the airway. Some pipes are better suited for a different person's smoking style. Pipes are like women - no matter how much you like one at first it just doesn't always work out.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Treasure hunting or just getting an older, rarer pipe at a good price


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